No Room at the Inn

Since the November 15 eviction from Zuccotti Park, occupiers have been eyeing Duarte Park, an unused lot owned by Trinity Church in Manhattan's financial district. The wealthy and progressive church has been providing Occupy with indoor meeting space, but repeatedly rebuffed appeals to allow a Duarte occupation, even after those appeals escalated to a hunger strike. After unsuccessful attempts by clergy to mediate the dispute, some occupiers climbed the fence surrounding Duarte Park earlier this month. Police arrested about fifty of them.

To the South, Iowan occupiers held a sit-in at an Obama field office, then moved to state Democratic Party headquarters. They demanded that Obama reject the Keystone XL pipeline and oppose indefinite detention of Americans. With days until the Iowa Caucus, Occupy Iowa Caucus called on Iowans to attend both parties’ caucuses and support “uncommitted” delegates rather than any declared candidate.

Out west, Los Angeles Chief Deputy City Attorney William Carter raised eyebrows when he informed Occupy LA activists who had been arrested that charges would be dropped for anyone who paid for and attended a class on the First Amendment offered by a private company. The cost? $355.